618 AOC assists with identifying WWII heroes Published Feb. 24, 2016 By Airman 1st Class Kiana Brothers Airman 1st Class Kiana Brothers SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- The 618th Air Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center) plans, tasks, and executes airlift, aerial refueling and aeromedical evacuation missions all over the world. Sometimes, they also bring home war heroes such as the repatriation mission performed recently to return the remains of WWII veterans from the Pearl Harbor attack. In 1941, the second highest loss of military members took place when the Japanese torpedoes sank the battleship USS Oklahoma. Families of 429 Sailors and Marines were notified of their loss, but many did not get to bury their loved ones. After almost 74 years, the United States Transportation Command tasked the 618th AOC with bringing the remains of at least eight members who were buried in Hawaii to Offutt AFB, Nebraska, to undergo modernized identity testing. "Never in my wildest dreams, did I think I would work a mission touching WWII and supporting an effort to identify sailors and Marines from the Pearl Harbor attack--young men who were peers of my own father," said Benjamin Nevin, 618th AOC Flight Manager. After a mission goes through the planning stage, the 618th AOC Mobility Management Directorate begins to task aircraft and aircrews for missions. Tasks are based on priority and available aircraft and crew members. Nevin said the 618th AOC tries their best to use the aircraft and aircrew's time efficiently. In addition to repatriation missions, the 618th AOC works directly with TRANSCOM across the full spectrum of air mobility missions to provide the quickest and most efficient response time. Over 1,000 aircraft are used for missions throughout the world. Mobility Airmen operate these aircraft to conduct airlift, air refueling, and both routine and unscheduled aeromedical evacuation missions. Repatriation missions are classified as a Special Assignment Airlift Mission, and have a high priority. The importance of this WWII repatriation mission was to get skeletal testing and DNA testing done in the Offutt laboratory to positively identify the fallen heroes, and then return them to their families for their final resting place. Linda Tracy, a SAAM planner and veteran, said she thinks of her brother who was in the Vietnam War, and if he was a lost member she would want to be able to receive his remains as soon as possible. "If you think about how the family would feel and how important it is for them to have the remains identified, this is amazing what we do in SAAM," she said. "I take a lot of pride in this because when we see things like this on television we realize wow, we did that!" Nevin and Tracy said that they considered it an immense honor to play even a little part in the efforts that 618th AOC executes every day, whether it's tasking their aircraft and aircrew or conducting contingency response missions that support U.S., Allied and Coalition personnel, to delivering humanitarian assistance all around the world.